Picker stick check



p 1958 H. H. MCCLAM'ROCH 2,851,062

PICKER STICK CHECK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4, 1956 INVENTOR. JfamIdJLJ Zcaamroah,

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United States Patent PICKER STICK CHECK Harold H. McClamroch, Concord, N. C., assignor of onehalf to James G. W. MacClamroch, Greensboro, N. C.

Application April 4, 1956, Serial No. 576,126

3 Claims. (Cl. 139-163) This invention relates to a picker stick check for looms, and more especially to an improved form of picker stick check which does not become overheated during operation of the loom.

There have been many forms of picker stick checks devised, all of which seek to slow and stop the motion of the picker stick as it catches the shuttle when the shuttle enters the box. The earlier forms of picker stick checks comprised a flexible strap made from a material such as leather or fabric. However, the constant friction on the strap made it necessary to reinforce the strap at the point where the picker stick rubbed thereon in order to counteract wear at this point. In addition, the strap absorbed moisture from the air, and consequently the yield point of the strap varied depending upon the humidity.

There have been devised many types of picker stick checks which utilize a cushioned check body which is acted upon by some sort of frictional braking device. However, all of these devices have the common fault that they become greatly overheated because of the frequency of the operation thereof, the heat destroying the braking materials, such as frictional brake surfaces, thus causing the device to operate improperly.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved picker stick check which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art picker stick checks.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved picker stick check which does not become overheated during the operation of the loom. Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken together with the appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one end of the lay of a loom showing the invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of one end of the lay of the loom as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation view of the device taken along line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the device according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, one end of a conventional loom lay has secured to the upper portion thereof a lay plate 11, and on this plate is secured a box front 12. Pivotally secured to the lay at 13 is a pivoted binder 14, the face of which is substantially parallel to the face of the box front 12. In the lay plate 11 between the box front 12 and the binder 14 is a slot 18. A picker stick 16 projects upwardly through the slot between thebox front 12 and the binder 14. A conventional picker 17 is secured on the upper end of the picker stick. The picker stick 16 oscillates in the slot 18.

Due to the fact that the shuttle (not shown) enters the box between the box front 12 and the binder 14 at a high rate of speed, it is necessary to provide means for checking the picker stick 16 when the shuttle contacts the picker 17 and moves it to the left in Figs. 1 and 2. If such means were not provided, the impact delivered to the picker stick would force the picker stick back against the extreme left-hand end of the slot 18, thus causing wear and breakage of the parts.

A bracket 19 having elongated slots 19a and 19b therein is mounted on the bottom of the end of the lay 10 by securing means 10a in the form of nuts and bolts extending through the slots. The elongation of the slots permits adjustment of the position of bracket 19. From one end of bracket 19 depends a check shaft 25 which is secured to the bracket by means of nut 26, a washer 27 being provided between the nut and the bracket. On the lower end of check shaft '25 is a flange 28, and be tween flange 28 and the bracket is a bearing 29. This bearing is shown as an oilite sleeve hearing, but may be any other suitable bearing, such as a pair of radial thrust bearings, one adjacent the flange and the other adjacent the bracket.

Mounted on the shaft 25 on the bearing 29' is a check body 20 which is made of a good heat conducting ma terial, preferably'aluminum. An arresting arm or pro jection 21 projects from the check body into the path of the picker stick 16. A reset arm or projection 22 like wise projects from the check body 20 in a direction which is generally parallel to the arresting arm 21. Reset arm 22 is spaced from the arresting arm and is shorter than the .arresting arm. A recess in the check body is formed between the two projections 21 and 22, and the recess and substantially the entire outline of the reset arm 22 is lined with a relatively soft lining 23 which will cushion the impact of the picker stick 16 against the check body 20. This lining may be leather or some other similar material.

A shoulder 30 is formed on the check body 20 and projects toward the bracket 19. Integral with the shoulder 30 and projecting therefrom in the direction of the bracket is a cylindrical brake drum 31 of the samegood heat conducting material. as the check body 20. This brake drum 31 is of a substantial thickness in the radial direction.

Surrounding the brake drum 31 is a brake band 32 which is lined with a frictional material lining 33. A retaining lug 34 is mounted on the bracket 19 adjacent the periphery of the brake drum 31, and one end of the brake band 32 is attached thereto. An adjusting bolt 35 extends through the lug 34 and through both ends of the brake band 32. An adjusting nut 36 is threaded to the end of the adjusting bolt 35, and a spring 37 is mounted between the nut and the adjacent end of the brake band 32. The adjusting nut 36 is preferably an elastic stop nut and preferably has finger engaging portions thereon in the manner of a wing nut.

Astop 39 is secured to the bracket 19 adjacent the projection 22.

One end 19c of the bracket 19 is offset from the part on which check body 20 is mounted and a bumper is mounted thereon to restrain the forward motion of the picker stick 16. A bumper shaft 38 depends from the bracket. Rigid with the bumper shaft 38 is a spring mounting body 41 having a slot 41a therein. Surrounding the spring mounting body is an arresting coil spring 42 having one end inserted in the slot 41a to attach the spring to the spring mounting body. Surrounding the coil spring 42 is an outer spring cover 43 having a slot 43a therein in which the other end of the coil spring 42 is engaged. The spring cover 43 is rotatably mounted on bumper shaft 38 and is held therein by means of nut 44 and an end plate 45 on the end of the bumper shaft 38. A bumper arm 44 is attached to the spring cover 43 and projects into the path of the picker stick 16. A

Fate nted Sept. 9, 1958 3 resilient coil 45 of bumper material, such as leather is attached to the end of the bumper arm in the path of the picker stick and serves to provide additional arresting action. A stop 46 is adjustably mounted on th bracket 19 in the path of the bumper arm 44 to prevent the bumper arm from moving too far toward the cheek body 20 under the influence of spring 42.

The operation of the device is believed to be apparent from the foregoing description. The brake band is adjusted by means of the adjusting nut 36 against the action or the spring 37 until the brake band is tightened sufficiently to apply the proper amount of braking force to the brake drum 31. The picker stick 16, moving toward the rear of the slot 18 under the action of the shuttle engaging the picker '17, strikes the arresting arm 21 turning the check body 20 so that the arresting arm moves toward the rear of the slot 18. The check body 20 is arrested by the action of'the lining 53 of brake hand 32 on t e bIake drum 31 before the picker stick reaches the end of the slot 18. In this position the reset arm 22 projects into the path of the picker stick 16.

When the mechanism for actuating the picker stick 16 moves the picker stick toward the front of the slot 18, in order to throw the shuttle to the other end .of the lay, the picker stick 16 engages the reset arm 22 resetting the arresting arm ,21 so that it will catch the picker stick 16 when it again moves toward the rear of the slot 18. The motion of the check body 20 is stopped when reset arm 22 hits the stop 39.

The picker stick in its forward motion strikes the coil of bumper material 45 on the end of the bumper arm 44, and the forward motion is arrested by the action of the sp ing .2-

The rapid operation of present day automatic looms will cause the picker stick check to operate with extreme rapidity. However, by reason of the substantial thickness of the brake drum 31, the good heat conducting material of which it is made, and its integral connection with the .check body 20, also of good heat conducting material, ,the heat generated by the ,frictionof the lining of the brake bandon the brake drum will be conducted aw y from the s rfac n hich t ining mate ia a t thus keeping the brake surface of the brake cool at all times. The deterioration of the brake band liner is thus avoidedby reason'o'f the fact that the device runs cool at all times.

The spring between the adjusting nut and the end of the brake band serves to 'keep proper tension on the brake'band at all times, and the adjustment of the brake band to compensate for normal wear .of the liner (can be made while the device is in operation.

It is possible, and may be desirable depending upon the material used in the liner of the. brakeflband, to harden the surface of the brake drum either by treatmentof the material of which the brake drum itself is made, or by providing a thin coating or-s'urface covering of steel or some other wear-re'sistantmaterial.

It is thought that .the invention .andits advantages will be understood from the foregoing description andit is apparent that various changes may be made in the ,form, construction and arrangement of the parts without degra ing from the spirit and scope of the invention pr sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus disclosed the invention, what is claimed l. A picker stick check comprising a bracket for mounting on a loom, a check shaft mounted in the bracket, 21 check body of good heat conducting material rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a shoulder thereon projecting toward said bracket concentric with said check shaft and an arresting arm projecting into the path of the picker stick and a reset arm spaced from and generally parallel to said arresting arm and shorter, than said arresting arm projecting into the path of the picker stick, a cylindrical brake drum of the same good heat conducting material as said check body and of substantial thickness in the radial direction integral with said shoulder on said check body and extending concentrically of said check shaft between said check body and said bracket, a brake band lined with friction material surrounding said brake drum and with one end attached to said bracket, a bolt through both ends of said brake band, a nut on said bolt, and a spring between said nut and the adjacent end of said brake band.

'2. A picker stick check comprising a bracket for mounting on a loom, a check shaft mounted on the bracket, a check body of good heat conducting material rotatably mounted on said shaft and having an arresting arm projecting into the path of the picker stick and a reset arm spaced from and generally parallel to said arresting arm and shorter thansaid arresting arm projecting into the path of the picker stick, a cylindrical brake drum of the same good heat conductingmaterial as said check body and of substantial thickness in the radial direction integral with said check body and extending betweensaid check body and said bracket, a brakeband lined with friction material surrounding said brake drum with one end attached to said bracket, and spring loaded adjustable tension means through the ends of said brake band.

'3. In a picker stick check having a bracket for mounting on a loom and a check shaft mounted in the bracket, that improvement comprising a check bodyof good heat conducting rna t eria l rotatably mounted on said shaft and having an arresting arm projecting into the path of the picker stick and a reset arm spaced from and generally parallel --to said arresting arm and shorter than said arresting arm projecting-into the path of the picker stick, a cylindrical brake drumof thesarne good heat conducting material as said check body and of substantial thickness -in the radial direction integral with said check body and extending between said check body and said bracket, a brake band lined with friction material surrounding said brake drum with one end attached to said bracket, and spring loaded adjustable tension means through the ends of said brake band.

References ,Citedin the ifile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,353,387 Eubanks Sept. 21, 1920 1,850,495 Carlson Mar. 22, 1932 2,146,973 Miller et a1. Feb. 14, 1939 2 0 198 qhm n M y 1 .1 

